264 SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



without loss in the dried form. And 5, Where a 

 large number of the farmers relatively are engaged 

 in dairying. 



In the region of the Great Lakes the precipita- 

 tion is frequently so great as to imperil crops while 

 they are being cured. In nearly all of the Rocky 

 mountain valleys rain is practically unknown in 

 harvest time. The necessity for siloing crops in the 

 former therefore will always be greater than in the 

 latter. In the New England states snow falls 

 abundantly and sometimes in the form of sleet. 

 Because of this corn in the shock is oftentimes ren- 

 derd inaccessible during certain portions of the 

 winter. In the semi-arid belt the snow fall is usually 

 light. In the latter therefore the silo is much less of 

 a necessity than in the former. 



In timber areas lumber and other building 

 materials are relatively cheap. Far out on the tree- 

 less prairies they are relatively dear, other things 

 being equal therefore, the benefits from the silo 

 should be greater on the prairie than in the timber 

 country, since about three times as much food can 

 be stored in the silo as in an equal space in ordinary 

 farm buildings. 



North of the fortieth parallel of latitude soiling 

 food cannot usually be provided from the fields 

 earlier than May nor later than November. The 

 further northward from the said parallel that any 

 place is located the shorter does the season become 

 for providing such food. 



On the other hand the further south from the 

 same parallel that any place is situated, the longer is 

 the season during which green food may be provided 



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